


The Giant From The Sea

by CureCocktail



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Revenge, Short One Shot, Umi Zatou, Yôkai, thalassophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:41:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25976092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CureCocktail/pseuds/CureCocktail
Summary: A small fishing village is shocked to its core when a mythological being attacks a fishing boat off the coast. But what does the woman on the hill have to do with it?





	The Giant From The Sea

The winds at sea were calm that night, but villagers in the nearby village could still see the woman grasping at the rock formation at the top of the cliff as if she was bracing herself for a storm. Most of them paid her no mind thinking she was only a worried spouse of a sailor praying for her husband’s safe return. The dark purple fabric of her kimono seemed to melt together with the starlit sky and the bow of her golden obi swayed gently in the breeze. Her gaze seemed to be locked on a ship drifting lazily along the horizon. Paper lanterns gave off a faint glow along the deck and made it visible from land. Some villagers had gathered down by the port to watch the ship come in and return their friends and families, but to a few vigilant people something seemed off. A great distance from the shore and in the path of the ship was something that resembled a smooth rock. It seemed strange since the rocks couldn’t reach that far out into the ocean and still breach the surface. As a few people started to wonder a sound came from the deep ocean. A strange vibrating sound of a plucked string sent ripples through the still ocean originating from the smooth rock. The sound struck rhythmically a couple of times before dying out, but at this point the ripples had turned into rolling waves that crashed against the ship and shore. Most of the village had started scrambling towards the shore to witness the strange event, some even began to pray for the safety of the ship. Others were horrified to see that the smooth rock had started to slightly drift towards the ship. A loud crash like a tree falling shook the ground and enraged the sea and air. Winds began to blow and the waves continued to rise as the ship tried to steer towards land away from the dangers of the sea. Gradually the smooth rock began to rise out of the sea revealing the head of an old man and then a body clad in a monk’s garments with a large Pipa strapped on the back. In it’s right hand was a walking cane that shook the earth each time it was tapped into the ocean. The titanic size of the being proved too much for some of the faint-hearted villagers who fell to the ground weeping or driven mad by the unnatural sight before them. The strong-willed men of the village scrambled to prepare a rescue vessel, but were stopped by the elders of the city. They were told that the crew of the ship were on their own. The giant being moved closer to the ship, which thrashed around at the mercy of the destructive forces of the ocean. Some of the sailors tried to launch harpoons and spears at the giant, but it did nothing to deter it from reaching down and placing its fingers around the sides of the ship. The villagers watched helplessly as the giant began to submerge itself back into the dark ocean, holding the ship in place. As the wives began to wail inconsolably, the villagers watched the ship get pulled down beneath the waves and disappear in the cold, dark ocean. Just as soon as the ship was gone, so was the storm and rolling waves, leaving the sea as calm as it had been only minutes ago. In ensuing chaos of madness that had gripped the villagers, everyone had seemed to forget about the woman on the cliff. If they had gone to her, they would have found her sitting with a plucked instrument, playing aggressively and laughing at the misfortune of the sailors. They would have heard her cries of scorn towards the man who had wronged her and now paid the price in the cold hell below the waves.

**Author's Note:**

> This story came about when I had a conversation on Twitter about yokai, monsters from Japanese folklore, and after having asked about people's favorite yokai somebody said the Umi Zato or The Blind Man of The Sea. As I read up on it I found that it terrified me as I am pretty afraid of the open sea.   
> I wanted to write a story that both felt like a true folk tale and revolved around my fear of the sea.


End file.
